Team Directory
SYRCL Team Directory
Administration
Hiring
Executive Director
SYRCL has engaged Cook Silverman as our professional search firm for this position. A new live application link will be coming soon! In the interim, please send any application information to apply@cooksilverman.com. Additionally, any non-application inquiries may be sent to victoria@cooksilverman.com or lana@cooksilverman.com.”
SYRCL has engaged Cook Silverman as our professional search firm for this position. A new live application link will be coming soon! In the interim, please send any application information to apply@cooksilverman.com. Additionally, any non-application inquiries may be sent to victoria@cooksilverman.com or lana@cooksilverman.com
Andrea Mason
Finance & Administration Director
Andrea, a Nevada County resident since birth, joined our team as the Finance Manager in October 2017. Having worked in accounting offices since she was 18, Andrea found she had a natural affinity for numbers and appreciated the orderliness which only a cleanly balanced set of books can produce.
In 2006 she pursued her BA in Accounting from University of Phoenix, graduating in 2009. At the same time, she was working for a Nevada City firm as their Quality Control Manager, ensuring accuracy and compliance on income tax returns and accounting projects.
Andrea brings with her a broad knowledge base, a commitment to excellence, a prodigious attention to detail, and a dedication to serving the people of the community she lives in and loves. In her free time, Andrea enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, painting, wine-tasting, and book collecting.
Development & Membership
Julie Pokrandt
Development Director
After graduate school, Julie became the first executive director for a wildlife rehabilitation group in San Diego. There she saw first-hand how devastating habitat loss can be, especially for raptors and songbirds.
Urban areas, where streams and wetlands are often sacrificed to development, are tough on wildlife and this inspired her to make a change. She moved to northern California to help put habitat back in the ground and joined a river habitat restoration organization. There, as the development director, she helped recruit members and educate the public on how river systems and riparian areas not only benefit birds, fish and mammals, but people and whole communities too. After working in Tucson with a national environmental organization dedicated to protecting endangered species, Julie is pleased to be back in California and be a part of SYRCL. She and her partner Matthew love rivers, and are looking for their next canoe so they can get back on the water.
Tony LeVeaux
Membership Associate
Tony grew up Arizona. There he was immersed in the natural deserts of the Southwest. A creative, he felt at home with local artists and actors. A self-proclaimed science nerd, he was always attracted to natural sciences, eating up Earth Science and Biology courses with pleasure.
In addition to serving as an officer in his high school Thespian Troupe, he became an eco-activist and was an officer in the Environmental Club. Often as a young adult, he found himself in community leadership roles, advocating at city council meetings to save the arts and protect the environment. He participated in encouraging recycling programs, promoting green building, and cleaning up highways through the adopt a highway program.
Tony entered the nonprofit world in the early 2000s. With good mentorship and his own determination, he has become a seasoned membership professional. Learning that collaboration is the key to advancing ideas, Tony enjoys working at the intersection of sectors. He loves creating partnerships and happily liaises to bring the right people together.
Unfortunately, the greater Phoenix metropolitan area’s urban sprawl ate away at a once vibrant ecosystem, forcing wildlife out and transforming desert landscapes into heat islands. Eventually, increasing temperatures and poor urban planning took away Tony’s childhood home in the desert. Seeking respite from climate change, Tony relocated to the Bay area and eventually settled in Grass Valley by 2010.
It wouldn’t be long before he became familiar with the Yuba River and all that the watershed region has to offer. Tony recognizes the challenges the region faces and decided to leave his work supporting the arts and lend his skills and passion to SYRCL. He is excited to advance the mission of SYRCL and help save the Yuba.
Watershed Science
Aaron Zettler-Mann
Watershed Science Director/Interim Executive Director
Aaron grew up swimming and playing in the creeks and rivers near his coastal home in a small town in Humboldt County. Predictably, he found his way to working as a raft guide. He was a raft guide on rivers throughout the Sierra Nevada for nearly ten years.
Predictably, he found his way to working as a raft guide. He was a raft guide on rivers throughout the Sierra Nevada for nearly ten years, and even met his wife (also a guide) while working on the South Fork of the American. In addition to guiding, Aaron worked ski patrol and construction. After many years playing and working seasonally, the future began to call.
Aaron is a Geographer at heart. He has completed three degrees in Geography; a BA at the University of Colorado at Boulder, a MA at the University of Denver, and a PhD at the University of Oregon. His academic training and research are in fluvial geomorphology and remote sensing. Aaron has taught a variety of courses including remote sensing, geomorphology, climatology, and geographic information systems. In addition, he has been involved in river research projects across the western US, and internationally. Aaron’s drive to protect and improve the health of the West’s watersheds led him to SYRCL. As Watershed Science Director, he will work closely with the community, government, and private entities to develop, implement, and monitor restoration efforts across the Yuba River watershed.
When not working, Aaron can almost certainly be found outdoors playing on the water with his wife. Whitewater kayaking and rafting, skiing, surfing, and mountain biking keep Aaron busy year-round. Aaron also enjoys cooking and baking.
Alecia Weisman
Headwaters Science Program Director
Growing up in North Georgia and Florida, Alecia had an eventful childhood full of creek hikes and beach visits. Her love for water has been a central theme in her life.
Alecia received her BS in Environmental Science from the University of Florida. As an Undergraduate researcher, she studied the relationship between Acacia trees and elephants in Chobe National Park, Botswana. Moving out west in 2009, Alecia worked with the Bureau of Land Management as a Conservation Land Management Intern in Pinedale, WY. While in Pinedale, she explored the Wind River Mountain Range and discovered her love of montane landscapes. Continuing further west, Alecia settled in Nevada County before attending Graduate school at The University of Nevada Reno. During her graduate program, she managed the Castle Lake Limnological Laboratory in Mt. Shasta. Her graduate research had two facets: 1) she investigated community respiration rates in near-shore and open water habitats in lakes across a trophic gradient, and 2) she studied the response of community respiration to nutrient loading in Lake Atitlan, a deep, high elevation lake in Guatemala. Earning her MS degree in Hydrology, Alecia graduated in 2014, receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student Award.
Working with SYRCL, Alecia can be found heading up meadow restoration projects, helping out with the River Education Program and diving into datasets that tell a story about the amazing Yuba River. Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding, gardening and exploring with her 2 German/Belgian Shepherds.
Kat Perlman
Forest Conservation Program Manager
Kat hails from north Georgia, where she grew up exploring the lush and vibrant forests of the Piedmont with her family and friends. She attended the University of Georgia and earned her BS in Wildlife Biology in 2011, where she focused her undergraduate studies on field and tropical ornithology.
She fell in love with natural resources and wildlife field work, and spent several years working as a tree surveyor and stream technician with the USGS.
Kat moved west in 2015 to attend graduate school at Oregon State University, where she earned her MS in Geography researching wildlife resource competition with a focus on northern spotted and barred owls. She then spent several years as a wildlife field technician, working throughout the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Argentina. Kat worked as a wildlife tech with the Forest Service on the Eldorado National Forest in 2020 and fell in love with the magical Sierra Nevada landscape. She then served as the lead wildlife technician on the Tahoe National Forest before joining the SYRCL team as the Forest Conservation Program Manager. Kat is thrilled to contribute her knowledge and experience to developing innovative means of managing our forestlands for health and resilience in a changing world.
Beyond her role with SYRCL, Kat enjoys hiking and backpacking all over the west coast, working in her garden, and cooking and eating local fresh foods every chance she gets.
Anne Marie Holt
Forest Conservation Project Manager
Anne Marie grew up in nearby Auburn and developed a love of the outdoors from a young age with the local river and mountains as her playground.
For her bachelors she left California to study at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she received her BS in Zoology. After completing her undergraduate studies, Anne Marie moved back to the Sacramento area and worked for the California Department of Food and Agriculture in their Pest Detection and Emergency projects program.
For her graduate studies she attended Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands earning her MS in Biology with a focus on Ecology and Biodiversity. During her time there her graduate research was comprised of two areas: 1) the distribution of vegetation in the India Muerta Wetlands in Uruguay as a remote sensory study, and 2) a remote methodology for a linguistic and ethnobotanical plant identification project in Guyana. After her studies, she came back to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and can now be found hiking and climbing in the summer and backcountry skiing and camping in the winter. In SYRCL’s Forest Health program, Anne Marie’s role as the Forest Conservation Project Manager is often out in the field working on forest health assessments in the Yuba Watershed or researching new ways of managing forests for resiliency.
Danielle Conway
Fish Biologist
A California native, Danielle spent much of her time as she grew up exploring the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains. The flora and fauna that inhabited these wild spaces inspired her to pursue a career in wildlife biology.
Danielle attended the University of California, Davis where she earned a degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. After graduating, she discovered her passion for anadromous fisheries conservation and has worked on a variety of monitoring and research projects throughout California’s Central Valley. In her role as Fish Biologist with SYRCL, she is excited to channel her efforts in protecting the native fish populations of the Yuba River watershed.
Outside of work, Danielle finds joy in hiking, practicing yoga, rock climbing, cooking, and spending time on the river.
Kyle McNeil
Ecohydrologist
Kyle grew up in the suburbs of Ventura County, CA. He moved to Davis for his undergraduate studies at UC Davis where he studies Environmental Science & Management.
During his time at UC Davis, he had a plethora of experiences in different research labs ranging from soil science, gut microbiota, environmental toxicity, to white abalone. During his time there, he also volunteered to reduce campus food waste and in his final year served as a coordinator for the 50th Annual Whole Earth Festival in 2019.
After graduating, Kyle moved to Sacramento, CA to work in stormwater permitting at the State Water Resources Control Board and volunteered at Effie Yeaw Nature Center helping to take care of the resident raptors and herps.
Kyle is excited to join our community organization focused on protection of the Yuba River watershed. In his free time, Kyle enjoys cooking, hiking, skiing, and playing board games with friends.
Wrenn Cleary
AmeriCorps Monitoring Coordinator
Wrenn comes to SYRCL from Virginia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. She enjoyed spending time in the Shenandoah National Park hiking and learning about the watershed, which inspired her to pursue a career in the water field.
Her thesis focused on the effects of a small-scale dam removal project. After graduating, she worked in both Arkansas and Greece, but is now excited to explore the Sierra and spend as much time as possible in the river. In her off time, she enjoys backpacking and is looking forward to figuring out how to ski.
Summer Driscoll
AmeriCorps Restoration Coordinator
Summer grew up in beautiful, wild Humboldt County swimming in the rivers or hiking in the redwood forest. Her passion for nature ignited, she went to UC Santa Cruz to study plant science.
Summer grew up in beautiful, wild Humboldt County swimming in the rivers or hiking in the redwood forest. Her passion for nature ignited, she went to UC Santa Cruz to study plant science. During her time with UCSC, Summer enjoyed volunteering in the greenhouses and interning with the UC Natural reserve in nearby Fort Ord. She focused on Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis, Seaside Bird’s-beak, working with the UCNR on mitigation efforts and sequencing its chloroplast genome. After getting her B.S. in plant science, Summer worked at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and is now excited to be working with SYRCL and SNAP as a restoration coordinator.
River People
Advocacy, Communications, Outreach & Education
Daniel Elkin
Communications & Engagement Director
Daniel became our Communications and Engagement Director in 2022. He has lived in Nevada County for over two decades, spending the majority of that time in education, having been a high school English teacher and school director.
Daniel has also run his own marketing company and, in 2019, started Fieldmouse Press, a non-profit publishing company here in Grass Valley.
Daniel received his BA in English at Skidmore College and his teaching credential from California State University Sacramento. He brings to the Communications and Engagement Director position his attention to detail, creativity, affability, and storytelling abilities. In his free time, Daniel can be found spending time with his partner, their two dogs and cat, a good book, and a delicious sandwich.
Gianna Setoudeh
Policy Director
Gianna resides in Fair Oaks and spends much of her free time at the river, lake or beach capturing California’s immense beauty with her camera or paintbrush. She grew up taking summer trips to the mountains and the beach with her family, where she cultivated her love for nature and the outdoors.
A California native, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University Sacramento and has strong experience in the government relations space, with expertise in the functions of the California State Legislature, Administration and state agencies. Prior to joining SYRCL, she worked for a nationally recognized law firm with a robust natural resource and environmental practice where she served as a legislative advocate on a multitude of issues and gained a strong interest in water policy. At SYRCL, she will lead the organization’s advocacy efforts by engaging in federal, state and local issues and policies to ensure SYRCL member’s voices are heard.
Gianna loves nature photography, hiking, picnics with her cat, and creating art inspired by nature.
Monique Streit
Education Director
Growing up in Grand Canyon National Park, Monique’s connection to nature was cultivated at a young age by exploring the forest and canyon that lay outside her backdoor.
Early on, she was inspired to learn about the rivers, trees, rocks, flowers, and animals in her surroundings, which taught her the importance of protecting our natural resources. Monique found that through education she can share her love of the outdoors but can also teach others how they can be active environmental stewards.
Monique earned her BS in Elementary Education and went on to teach 4th grade in Flagstaff, AZ. Through incorporating environmental education into her classroom as much as possible, she decided to change career paths. Monique earned her MS in Environmental Education and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Southern Oregon University. She is particularly interested in providing students the skills, knowledge, and tools they need to make informed and sustainable decisions that will positively impact their community. She believes this can be achieved through hands-on, experiential outdoor learning opportunities. She is thrilled to join the SYRCL team and continue to give students meaningful environmental education experiences throughout the Yuba watershed.
In her free time, Monique enjoys exploring her natural surroundings, whether that means hiking, camping, backpacking, or floating down a river. She is excited to explore the Sierra Nevada and find the best places to sit back, relax, and soak up the breathtaking views.
Maddie Davis
Community Engagement Manager
Maddie grew up in Nevada County and spent her formative years exploring the Yuba Watershed and visiting the vast natural landscapes of California.
During her time as a student at the Yuba River Charter School, she learned about local ecology and wildlife and grew highly motivated to educate herself and peers about climate change.
She graduated in 2018 from Mills College with a BA in Sociology. She focused her studies on restorative justice in education and environmental racism, ever interested in how people and systems interact. Upon graduation, she joined the development department at Mills where she organized volunteers, fundraised, and managed a telephone outreach program. She is delighted to be a part of the SYRCL team and support the protection and restoration of the Yuba Watershed.
In her free time, Maddie enjoys reading, writing, roller-skating, going for nature walks, and spending time with her pets.
Abigail O’Richey
Digital Media Specialist & Contractor
Abigail is Renaissance woman of the Interwebs, weaving connections in all kinds of domains including branding, web design, content development, social media strategy, and graphic design. Her legal home base is in Grass Valley and she loves spending time outside anywhere on planet Earth.
Cynthia Ruelas
AmeriCorps Education and Outreach Coordinator
Cynthia grew up in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up in the city did not come with too many nature opportunities. She took her first trip camping to Yosemite National Park right after graduating from High School. Spending time in nature for the first time, she was mesmerized by the beauty of what National Parks had to offer.
She became obsessed with learning more about National Parks and planning more trips to visit them all. She attended Cal Poly Humboldt, graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science Management with a Focus in Environmental Education and Interpretation. She has been working with kids teaching environmental education, working at after school programs, as a nanny, and a tutor for ten years. Aside from her work experience, she loves to go paddleboarding, hiking, swimming in the Yuba River, and traveling.
Rose Ledford
Science and Education Specialist
Rose grew up in the desert of southern California, mesmerized by the diversity in her backyard. She graduated from Sonoma State with degrees in Earth Science and Liberal Studies, as well as a minor in Geology. Her infectious curiosity and excitement for the natural world makes her a great educator and driven advocate for the natural wonders of the Sierra Nevada.
Jessica Haro
Executive Assistant
Born and raised in a small town in northern Germany, Jessica was ingrained with strong, environmental values by her mother, a staunch Green Party member. Jessica‘s grandparents owned a the tree nursery and she grew up playing and hanging out and in her favorite beech and birch. When she wasn’t roaming around in the forests or fields with her friends, she enjoyed planting with her grandmother and mother, who knew all of the Latin names of the plants.
Her father, a Mexican American “Chicano from LA“ taught her that people are all very different and the importance of embracing those differences. At the age of 20, Jessica decided to explore the world, learn English well, and move to San Francisco. There she worked in the medical tech industry as a CEO assistant and a project manager before she relocated to Grass Valley five years ago. Helping to preserve the natural environment of the Yuba River is a privilege to Jessica. She holds a BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Lívia Campos de Menezes
Film Festival Director
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Lívia is passionate about films and their power to raise awareness for issues that matter. Having a bachelor’s in International Relations and a master’s in History, she spent 6 years working in operations and market research before pivoting her career to work in the film industry.
In 2014, Lívia returned to school to study Screenwriting and realized that, besides writing her stories, she liked helping others implement their creative visions. With that in mind, she moved to the United States, where she got an MFA in Creative Producing at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
After graduating in 2018, Lívia moved to San Francisco and often traveled to assume her seasonal film festival positions. Now, she is excited about settling down in Nevada City and joining the WSFF team to bring the festival back to the theaters in 2022!
Eric Dunn
Film Festival Operations Director
Growing up in the Midwest, Eric’s love of nature and waterways was established early at a summer camp with a focus on extended wilderness tripping in the north woods.
After crafting his own unique degree at The Ohio State University, Eric began his professional career with over a decade of experiences managing and booking musicians at high profile events around the globe. Following years of life in the Midwest he relocated to the Nevada City region in 2012. Over the past 7 years Eric was the owner & manager of an award-winning essential oils and aromatherapy products company with his partner of 16 years. Eric brings with him to Wild & Scenic a deep well of experience in logistics, marketing, & sales.
Today Eric continues to be an avid outdoorsman. He is an enthusiastic photographer, especially long exposure and astrophotography. He enjoys sharing his vision and the natural beauty of our earth to help connect others in appreciation and gratitude for the natural world. In his spare time Eric enjoys getting outside and exploring the region with his wife & dog in a variety of ways including hiking, camping, canoeing, skiing, & soaking in hot springs.
Rebecca Walters
On Tour Sales Coordinator
Rebecca is the On Tour Coordinator for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. She received her BFA in filmmaking from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. As a social impact filmmaker, coordinator, guest artist, festival agent, and programmer she has worked for the Sundance Institute, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Cucalorus Film
Foundation, and Stowe Story Labs.
Her work has screened at universities across the country and has premiered at several film festivals including the Austin Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival, and Ivy Film Festival. When Rebecca isn’t writing, directing or advocating for change, you can find her hiking in the mountains, or dancing on a beach somewhere!
Jaimie des Tombe
On Tour Sales Manager
Jaimie is a lifelong resident of the Yuba Watershed, and has lived on a canyon high above the South Fork of the Yuba for most of her adult life. The Yuba has always been the center of her community in one way or another, and she brings her deep gratitude for this to her work. Jaimie is ever passionate about the protection of local cultural and natural resources, and is thrilled to work with an organization that shares her values.
As a long time professional in the area of national and international sales, marketing, business and events, Jaimie is hard at work as Sales Manager for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival’s On Tour program. When not at work, Jaimie would like to be found enjoying time with family and friends, in the garden, in the kitchen, on the dance floor, or partaking in a live musical event.
Employment Opportunities
Year-Round & Seasonal/Temporary Positions
